Reflective Tag:

So far, many things have been covered in this series of artifacts, yet there is much more.  We’ve gone through gender, culture, the gaps between the genders, and much more.  Now it is time to hit the topic of circumcision, both male and female.  What’s that? You weren’t aware that a female could be circumcised?  Though you may be cognizant of this reality, many people are not… and what’s worse is some of the people who do know of it are not aware of the horrors that come with it many a time.  Circumcision is not just something that men do for one reason or another.  In this artifact, the contexts of circumcision will be drawn to the light and explained.  What is it?  Why do we do it?  What does it mean? What are the consequences that may come with it? All that and more will be covered here.

CIRCUMCISION

So as always, first thing’s first.  Some basic things need to be laid out.  What is circumcision?  Well, in general it is modification of the genitalia in some form or another.  For the male, circumcision consists of the removal of the foreskin of the penis.  This has a few basic practical purposes, the most important of which is to aid in cleanliness and reduce the risk of transmitting or carrying and STD.  Simple enough, right?  Well it has cultural implications too.  In many cultures such as the Xhosa for example, circumcision is a big to do and a large ritual that signals becoming a man in their societies. Unfortunately this can be very dangerous for the boys in their trials to become men.  The procedures are usually done in a rather primitive way with not so sterile tools such as old razor blades and the like.  This is obviously problematic.  But there are people trying to help these cultures keep their traditions and improve cleanliness.  The practice of male circumcision is common in the United States as well, but it is very routine and usually done at an early life stage.

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Now,  female circumcision?  Yes, female circumcision is a thing.  Female circumcision can consist of a few different things.  There are multiple ways to “circumcise” a female, such as cutting the labia, cutting the clitoris hood, or even completely removing the clitoris; however, the worst of all of them is a combination followed by sewing the genitalia shut and leaving only space for period blood and urine.  The dangers of this can be imagined.  Not to mention the fact that all of these procedures are extremely painful.  The cultural contexts are more often than not no better than the procedure.  There are many reasons that cultures around the world carry out the practice of female circumcision.  Some, if not most, of these reasons are religious in context and refer to the sins of sexual pleasure and such.  In some cultures, a girl is not considered marriageable until she has been circumcised in some form or another.  There are many people that are beginning to fight the tradition because of how inhumane and dangerous it is.  It is even illegal in some places, but there are those who still believe in it and carry the practice out in secret.  It is something that must be stopped for the sake of those that it affects.

 

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All in all, circumcision is a mixed and varied topic.  Male circumcision has long standing cultural pretexts and in some cases has great health benefits.  Female circumcision is not so good though and is a very controversial topic that is also rooted in many cultures.  It is important to have and understanding of both though in today’s day in age.

 

Works Cited:

Class Material/Notes

In-Class Videos